Gift of the Diamond: A Nuzlocke Challange
by zeldasheik555
Summary: 16 year old Maka Albarn is a studious girl from Twinleaf Town in the Sinnoh region who is finally beginning her Pokemon journey after Professor Rowan returns from the Kanto region. But soon into her journey, Maka finds that not all is well in Sinnoh as a mysterious group is threatening everything that Maka knows and loves. Will Maka quell this threat and become Champion of Sinnoh?
1. The Journey Begins

Chapter 1

The Journey begins

"Maka! Breakfast is ready!" Mom called from downstairs

"Okay Mom! I'll be down in a minute!" I say putting on my scarf. then I head downstairs and see mom has made oren berry pancakes; my favorite!

Mom and I began eating breakfast when a 'special' report about the search for the red Gyarados came on the tv. A group of people have been searching for this super rare, said to be the only one of its kind in the world, Gyarados for the past decade. To put it simply, they haven't gotten anything done. "Hasn't anyone heard of shiny pokemon. They may not be all that common, but still; pokerus is rarer than shiny pokemon" I say with annoyed tone.

Mom chuckled, "It really shows when you research something, doesn't it?"

"Well, yeah! People learn thing when they take the **time** to study," I stated.

"You know, Maka, you could become the Pokemon Professor of Sinnoh one of these days. You would be the best one this region has ever had!" Mom said happily. I shook my head.

"I don't want to be stuck in a lab for the rest of my life. I want to explore my home region like you did back in Johto with Dad!"

Mom's face shifted from a smile to a frown. "Yeah," She simply said before smiling again "Speaking of exploring the region, Soul stopped by and told me to remind you that you two planned something about going to Lake Verity."

"OH, that's rights!" I say while stuffing my face with pancakes. I quickly finish chewing my food and grab my bag. "See you later, Mom"

"Okay! Just don't go into the tall grass" Mom called as I ran out the door and quickly met Soul outside of Twinleaf town.

"Yo, Maka. About time you arrived," Soul stated.

"Sorry Soul, I was eating breakfast!" I say in between breaths.

"Yeah, I can tell! You have pancake on the corner of your mouth"

"What?!" I almost yell as I frantically look through my bag for a napkin. However, before i could find one, Soul handed me a napkin.

"Here. For some reason, I knew you would need this" Soul stated. He has a way of what I might need.

"Thanks, Soul. You know me so well" I say shyly

"Well, I have known you my entire life"

"That is true"

Soul smiled. "Come on, let's go. You lead the way"

"Alright!" And we walk to the lake where we saw an old man a young boy talking.

"Professor Rowan, It's been four years since you've been in the Sinnoh region. How does it feel to be back home?" The boy asked the old man.

"It's like I never left. Nothing much has changed since I went to study in the Kanto region." The old man said breathing in the lake air. "Come, Lucas, we must return to Sandgem Town"

The old man and boy walked toward us and I moved out of the way

"Hey! Wait!" Soul called out to them, but they were already gone. "well, we should bring that to them" Soul looked at the suitcase that the two had left behind and started walking toward the tall grass that surrounded the suitcase

"Soul! We Shouldn't go in tall grass! What if wild pokemon jump out?" I called out. Soul turned around.

"Don't worry, Maka. We'll be in and out before a pokemon attacks." He gave me his assuring smile.

"Okay" I say nervously. We walk in the tall grass and grab the suitcase.

"See! Nothing happened! Come on, let's give this back!" Soul stated. We started on going back when Soul saw something heading toward us. "MAKA! **WATCH OUT!** "

Before I could turn around, Soul pushed me out of the way, and took a hit from two wild Starly, making him drop the suitcase on the ground hard enough for it to open. Three pokeballs fell out in front of me. I grab two of them and tossed one to Soul, who still seemed to be okay.

"Thanks" He said before throwing the pokeball in the air and a Turtwig came out. I did the same, but a Piplup came out instead.

"YAHOO!" The Piplup screamed as he popped out. He looked like a regular Piplup, but he had a scar that was in the perfect shape of a star on his left wing. He looked eager for a battle,. The way he talked even told me that. "Alright who wants battle the great BLACK STAR!"

The two Starly looked at each other; then one charged at Black Star. He easily countered the attack, then kept literally pounding the Starly until it fainted.

"Hahahahaha! That's what you get for messing with the great Black Star!" the piplup exclaimed, then turned around to me. "So you're the one who called me out of my pokeball. As thanks, you can have my autograph!" He promptly grabbed a pen and piece of paper, wrote his name on it and gave it to me.

"uh…. thanks…." I respond, not sure to be happy or irritated. This pokemon is so full of himself that it is annoying; but he did just help me. Accepting his autograph was the least I could do.

"Your pokemon was pretty cool, Maka" Soul said behind me. "Though, my pokemon was much cooler."

Soul's comment made me chuckle, "I wouldn't be so sure. My piplup can write an autograph. Can yours?" Soul's turtwig glared at me.

"BLACK STAR IS ASYMMETRICAL BECAUSE OF HIS SCAR ON HIS LEFT WING!" Soul's turtwig yelled.

"You're one to talk, Kid! One of the leaves on your head was cut in half by a caterpie!" Black Star retorted. Kid the turtwig hung his head low.

"I know! I'm a worthless piece of garbage! I'm nothing more than a pignite! An asymmetrical pokemon does not deserve to exist like I do!"

"What's the matter with turtwig?" Soul asked.

"Kid, the turtwig, called Black Star, the piplup, an asymmetrical pokemon because he has a scar on his left wing, so Black Star pointed out the leaf that is cut in half. Now Kid is calling himself a piece of garbage" I told him.

"Kid… That's a cool name for a pokemon! With a name like that, who cares if he's not semantical? He's awesome!" Soul stated and Kid's face lit up. Then the boy who was with Professor Rowan came running.

"Almost forgot this." The boy said to himself, picking up the suitcase. Then he saw the two pokemon that were standing by us. "Did you two use these pokemon?"

We nodded.

"Oh boy, this isn't good! What is the professor going to say?" the boy muttered to himself. "Can you two please come by the lab in Sandgem Town at some point?"

"Sure." Soul said speaking for the both of us.

"Okay. Please come as soon as possible." The boy said before turning and walking away. "I hope the professor does not get mad because of this"

* * *

Back at home, I told mom what had happened while she finished washing the dishes.

"I'm just glad you and Soul are safe. But you should return Black Star to Professor Rowan and apologize for using his pokemon" Mom said, looking at Black Star.

"I know mom. I was already planning on that. Soul already went ahead to do so. I'm going Sandgem Town pretty soon." I told my mom. What else was I going to do? I didn't want to give up Black Star so soon, but he's not my pokemon; I have to return him.

"I don't want to go back! There's nothing to do in that lab! I have no idea why he keeps me, Kid, and Sid there!" Black Star exclaimed in protest.

"What if a trainer comes by to pick his or her first pokemon, and one or two pokemon are missing? What if that trainer wants a water type?" Mom argued.

"What about Maka here? She's got enough potential to rise above the gods if she became a pokemon trainer! And I'm sure that boyfriend of hers would say the same thing!"

"SOUL IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" I yell. Mom and Black Star gave me the same exact look

"Yeah… keep telling yourself that." Black Star muttered. I let him know that the comment was not appreciated in the slightest.

Mom went over to her desk in the corner of the living room, and quickly wrote something and put the paper in an envelope, and handed to me. "Give this to Professor Rowan, and here is some money, and you'll want these running shoes"

"Mom, You don't need to prep me like I'm going out of the region. I'm just going explore Sinnoh and fight some gym leaders, but that's it"

"Maka Kylie Albarn! Do you have any idea what it means to be a pokemon trainer?! A trainer builds bonds with their pokemon ! You're going to lose pokemon on your journey, and those losses will hurt you. And if you get past the Elite Four and the Champion, you'll have to go to different regions like Johto or Kanto. I know I had to when I was Champion of Johto to meet up with other champs. Plus people will expect you to become Champion because you're the daughter of a former Champion!" Mom lectured me for about an hour about the dangers of a journey for a girl my age, and the expectations that people have for me. I rolled my eyes; There is no way for me to become Champion of Sinnoh.

"Mom, I don't even have a slight chance of becoming Champion! I heard that the current champ is the best one in Sinnoh since 1949," I tell mom. "The Champion has a Garchomp! A Garchomp, Mom! Very few people have a chance against a pokemon like that!"

Mom gave me her 'Oh really' look. "Maka, never doubt yourself. You are a strong, independent girl. You need to do your best out there and you'll do fine against the champion. But most importantly, you should always be yourself no matter what your relation to former champions is"

"Thanks Mom." I say hugging her

"Crystal, you haven't given my dear granddaughter everything you have to give," A very familiar voice claimed as Grandma Layla rolled in the living room on her wheel chair. "you forgot the heirloom"

"I was just getting to that, Mom" Mom turned around to grab a small magenta case that looked like it should be holding eye glasses. "Take good care of this. You never know when you're going to need it." She handed me the case and I opened it. Inside was a beautiful hair clip. The clip itself was made from sterling silver and in the center had a diamond as clear as glass. I had no idea my mom had something like this as a heirloom.

"Let me put it in your hair." Grandma said as she moved her wheelchair behind me and carefully, as if to not harm a baby pokemon, clipped the heirloom in my hair. "There, now everyone that isn't living under a rock will know that you are my granddaughter. Now, you are ready for your adventure!"

"Thanks grandma. Thanks Mom." I say, giving them both hugs, "I'll be sure to visit and call often" then I ran out and straight to Sandgem Town where the professor's assistant was waiting for me.

"Hey! Glad you were able to come. Your friend is taking to the professor right now." the assistant said as he lead me to Professor Rowan's lab. I was about to open the door when Soul practically burst out and ran into me, literally!

"OW! What the-" Soul exclaimed as I fell to the ground. "Oh hey Maka. Didn't see you there."

"It's okay. It isn't like you hadn't rammed into me before" I say as Soul extends his hand to help me up.

Black Star coughed, "Boyfriend and girlfriend!" And coughed again, which irritated me.

"MAKA CHOP!" I yell as I hit in the head with the spine of a book.

"What did Black Star do to piss you off?" Soul asked with a slightly sarcastic tone.

"Nothing that you need to be concerned about." I say, then try to get off that topic. "So how was your talk with the professor"

"Better than I expected. I thought Professor Rowan was going to be super scary and pissed off, but he was pretty chill. Any way, I have to get going. See you later, Maka!" Soul said as he ran to the northwest exit of the town.

The assistant shook his head before opening the door to the professor's laboratory. Inside, scientists were looking over DNA strands, studying Pokemon behaviors, and sharing possible discoveries. After looking around for about a minute or two, I find Professor Rowan in the back of the room talking to another scientist.

"So according to your thesis, and your experiments; you believe that within 20 generations or so, over 50% of people in the Sinnoh will be able to understand pokemon" Rowan asked the other scientist.

"Yes sir. However, currently finding a person who understands pokemon is almost impossible," the scientist explained, "plus I'm also finding that some have developed this gene as a mutation at some point in childhood or adolescence."

"Interesting…" Professor pondered for a few minutes. "Send this data to Professor Juniper of Unova; As a scientist just coming out of college, I sure he'll be fascinated by the hypothesis and try to replicate the experiment himself"

"Right away, sir" The scientist said before doing what he was told. Professor Rowan turned around and looked at me, as if he knew I was there.

"So you're the other person who used one of my pokemon to protect yourself from a wild Starly attack?" Rowan asked.

"Yes, And I apologize for using Piplup; Soul and I had no other choice" I say as I pull the letter out of my bag.

"That is something that I completely understand. From what your friend told me, you two were trying to help me out by bringing me my suitcase, but the Starly attacked before you were able to so."

"Yes. It was Soul's idea; he thought we would be in and out of the tall grass before we would get attacked" I tell Rowan and he nodded in understanding.

Black Star was jumping up and down excitedly, "The letter! Give the professor the letter!" The Piplup whispered. I gave a 'be patient' before handing Rowan the envelope with the letter in it.

The professor opened the envelope and read the letter. After a few moments, he looked me in the eye and said "Considering you age, and that your mother is Crystal Albarn, a former champion of the Johto Region, I firmly believe to go on a journey of your own; and seeing as how you've already bonded with this piplup, it seems that you may be a greater champion than your mother or grandmother." The professor hands me what looks like a pokedex. "This is to record all the pokemon you encounter on your journey. Now do you have a name in mind for you piplup?"

Black Star and I look at each other. "I've already decided on a name."

"And that is…?"

"Black Star." I tell Rowan. "Earlier, he gave me his autograph, and that was the the name that he gave me"

"That name fits him in a way." Rowan pondered. "Very well. As of today, you are an official Pokemon Trainer!" Then he gave me a trainer card and case to put my gym badges.

"Thank you" I say while bowing, then proceed to leave the lab. The assistant follows me and points out what buildings are the Pokemon Center, where trainers go to heal up pokemon; and the PokeMart, where on can get healing items as well as pokeballs. He even showed me how to catch pokemon.

"And that's how it's done," the assistant said after he caught a bidoof. "By the way, I never got the chance to introduce myself. My name is Lucas"

I smile and introduce myself. "I'm Maka. Maka Albarn"


	2. Building a Team

**Hey guys, Zeldasheik555 here. I want to say thank you for reading my Nuzlocke Challange story. Over two years ago, I released a sneak peek for this story and since then I have had issues involving computer compleatly breaking down, school, a family member's death, and writer's block. Now I have chapter two ready and chapter three is underway. Just to let you know, the only reason this is a "crossover" is because I'm not good at coming up with names on the fly, so I just chose names from characters from fandoms that I am in. Most characters in this story are from Soul**

"Alright! Let's go find some other pokemon to join our team to rise above the gods!" Black Star exclaimed as he ran through the tall grass fields in front of Twinleaf Town.

"Black Star! Wait up!" I call out as I try to the rushing pokemon. "We need to be careful about what we're doing!"

I was running faster than I ever had before just to keep up with the piplup. The thing is, Black Star is very energetic and hard to keep up with. Unfortunately, that can get him into a lot of trouble, which is almost exactly what happened when he stepped on the tail of a wild starly.

"HEY! What the hell was that for?!" the starly angrily tweeted. I honestly didn't blame her. If I was a bird pokemon, and my tail feathers were stepped on, I'd be angry too.

"Heh heh, sorry about that," Black Star apologized. "I was just looking for pokemon that would help me and my trainer rise above the gods, and you look very strong! So you will join our team!"

"MAKA CHOP!" I yell, hitting Black Star in the head with the spine of a book for the very rude comment. I look at the starly, who was ruffling her feathers. "Sorry about Black Star. He's an idiot and full of himself. It can be really annoying"

The starly giggled, "Well, at least you're able to keep him in line"

"Sort of… He's very energetic and it's hard to keep up with him" I state and sigh.

"Sounds like you need support from another female," the starly said, holding out her wing. "My name is Kagu."

"Nice to meet you, Kagu. I'm Maka." I say, trying to shake hands with the starly. Not the easiest thing to do with someone who uses wings for hands. It make me wonder how Black Star is able to hold a pen and paper.

After the possible fail of a handshake, I dug through my bag and pull out a pokeball. "Are you sure about this? There are more capable trainers in the world that you can join."

"Of course!" Kagu exclaimed. "I don't want you to be stuck with just that idiot of a Pokemon!"

"HEY!" Black Star yelled. "I'm going to rise above the gods with Maka! Just you watch!"

I shook my head for what felt like the hundredth time today. Kagu was facepalming with her wing. I tossed the pokeball at Kagu waited for the click of the ball letting me know that I caught her.

"Welcome to the team, Kagu," I say, picking up Kagu's pokeball, then press the button to let her out. The starly ruffled her feathers.

"I had no idea that something the size of baseball would be so roomy!" Kagu said in surprise.

"Come on!" Black Star exclaimed before I could say anything, "We have to catch more pokemon!" The piplup then rushed in the the complete opposite direction to the next route.

"Why is he in such a rush?" Kagu asked in confusion.

"I have no idea" I say in response, just as confused. I start to follow Black Star with Kagu walking right beside me. We weren't walking as fast as Black Star (who more ran then walked), because we were enjoying the nice weather. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, which I liked a lot. Around Twinleaf Town and Sandgem, clouds almost always meant rain due to the bodies of water that are near both towns.

We eventually find Black Star chatting with a small shinx. Shinx are generally 50.8 centimeters tall, but this shinx stands at 30.48 centimeters. The shinx was also female, which one could tell just by looking at her (or at least they should, in my opinion). She had a beautiful tsubaki flower placed right next to her left ear which contrasted nicely against her blue and black fur.

"Yeah! Maka is an amazing trainer!" We heard Black Star tell the shinx. "You'll love her, Tsubaki!"

Tsubaki smiled. "She sounds like the perfect trainer for you, Black Star! I can't wait to meet her"

Kagu and I approached Black Star and Tsubaki who were still chatting. They seemed liked old friends, which reminded me of Soul and me. I was about to say something, but Kagu seemed to know what I was going to say, and spoke up, "You two know each other?

Black Star turned to to us, not surprised that we were there, "Hey Maka. Hey Kagu. This is my old friend Tsubaki!" He said. "Tsubaki, this is Maka, the trainer I told you about"

Tsubaki bowed her head, "It's nice to meet you, Maka. Black Star has told me so much about you."

I raised my eyebrow in confusion, "But Black Star has only known me for at least twenty-four hours. How can he know a lot about me if he's only known me for one day?"

"He says that your personality is easy to see through"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. He told me that you like to study to the point you could be an assistant to Professor Rowan if you wanted; you look up to your mother all the time; you may read a little too much; you don't take anyone's sh*t; you haven't seen your father for almost fourteen years, and I honestly don't know how he got that information; and you you might have a thing for a boy named Soul"

Of course Black Star told her about me and Soul. "I don't like Soul in that way. Soul and I are just childhood friends"

Tsubaki tilted her head, "Really? 'Cause from the sound of it. You and soul really like each other."

"Enough about me! How about you; how long have you known Black Star?" I ask to end the previous conversation.

"Oh, I've known Black Star for about 5 years," Tsubaki said while watching Black Star goof off. "It's really nice to see him again after 3 year.

"Black Star has been waiting for years to get out of Professor Rowan's lab. He's always wanted to explore the entirety of Sinnoh. I'm glad that you two met, otherwise he would still be stuck in that lab, not knowing what to do with himself"

"I guess you're right" I say. "I really haven't given it much thought. He just helped me when two starly attacked Soul and me. I felt like owed him a favor"

"Well, now you, Black Star, and that starly" Tsubaki motioned her head to Kagu, then shyly patted her paw on the ground. "Do you mind if I join you on your journey as well?"

"Sure, if you want," I pull out a pokeball, and Tsubaki rammed her head on the button which allowed it to activate. The ball caught her, shook three times, then clicked; letting me know that the capture was successful. I pick up the ball, then let the little shinx out.

"Thank you, Maka" Tsubaki said smiling.

We spend the rest of the day training. I figured that we would need to get stronger before we head out to battle Sinnoh Pokemon League Gym Leaders, taking our first steps to defeating the Elite Four and maybe even the Champion.

Black Star and Kagu had done pretty good. There were times when I had to go to mom to get them healed up. Tsubaki on the other hand was great. She was doing her best to catch up to Black Sar in strength. Everything was good, even though clouds started to form. Everything was great until the evening.

"Wow, Tsubaki, you doing an amazing job with training!" Black Star blurted out after Tsubaki defeated her fifth wild pokemon in a row without need to be healed up.

"Thanks, Black Star," Tsubaki gleefully replied. "But I still have a long way to go before I am as strong as you." She turned around to focus on a wild bidoof that had just appeared. However something didn't seem right about the pokemon.

"Uh… Tsubaki, I think we should get you healed up," I say, really worried about the shinx's safety.

"What do you mean? I'm perfectly fine. I can ha-" Her words were cut off when the wild bidoof had tackled Tsubaki right on the chest, causing her to cough up a lot of blood. The worst part of it, I literally felt the impact on my own chest; which caused me to collapse in pain.

"TSUBAKI!" Black Star yelled as he rushed over to beat the bidoof that more than likely crushed a few of Tsubaki's organs. Meanwhile, Kagu came over to see what was going on with me.

"Are you okay, Maka" Kagu asked, obviously concerned.

"I'm…. fine… I'm more worried about Tsubaki," I lift my head to look at a distraught Black Star holding what looked like a dying Tsubaki.

"Come on Tsubaki! You can hang in there!" Black Star said with a shaky voice. "We'll just get you to a PokeCenter" Tsubaki shakily opened her eyes and looked at the piplup.

"I'm... glad that... I got to… be with you," Tsubaki hacked, spraying blood all over Black Star's face. "in the end"

"Come on, Tsubaki! I'm not letting you die. I'm going to make sure you get healed up!" Black Star stood up and Tsubaki put her paw on his cheek.

"Black Star…. I…. love…. you," the shinx closed her eyes and went limp.

I even saw her breathing stop as Black Star's eyes welled up with tears.

"Tsubaki? Come on Tsubaki, don't die on me!" Black Star said as he began to shake Tsubaki. "Open your eyes Tsubaki! Tsubaki, speak to me! Tsubaki! TSUBAKI! TSSUBAAAKIII!" and with Black Star's cry, I had realized that there were storm clouds above us.


	3. The Letter G

_Chapter 3_

 _The Letter "G"_

Mom paced back and forth in the Sandgem PokeCenter while Grandma Layla did her best to comfort me. We've been waiting in here to get a report of the damage that Tsubaki had received before her death.

Rain was pouring down hard outside, not that I minded; the sky was crying when I could not. Tsubaki's death hit me so hard that I couldn't shed a single tear. Black Star, on the other hand, refused to cry in front of anyone. He just sat by the window, watching the rain. Kagu had invited him to sit over by us, but he said that he wanted some alone time. I really don't blame him, as Tsubaki said that she loved him in her dying breath. He's hurting the most out of all of us.

The PokeCenter nurse finally came out of the examination room with a solemn look on her face. "Your shinx's stomach, lungs, and heart were completely crushed. There was no way she would have made it. I'm sorry."

"It's my fault," I muttered. "I felt that something was going to happen, and I tried to get Tsubaki out of there. I should have been more assertive."

"Maka! It's not your fault that Tsubaki died. You had no idea what was going to happen" Mom said trying to comfort me as best she could.

"I felt her pain, Mom. When the bidoof tackled Tsubaki, I felt as if a Machamp had punched me in the chest so hard that I couldn't stand up"

"Maka… That's just how it feels to lose a pokemon"

"What I felt was different! I felt the pain as soon as Tsubaki was hit!" I practically yell.

"But that doesn't make sense! How can you feel the pain of a pokemon?" Mom said with a confused face. Then she muttered "Unless this is your gift from Arceus…"

"THIS ISN'T A GIFT, MOM! IT'S A CURSE; AND I WANT IT TO GO AWAY!" I cry into Grandma's shoulder as she strokes my hair, trying to comfort me .

"I agree with Maka, Crystal. My granddaughter should not have to deal something as awful as feeling the pain of a pokemon dying!" Grandma told Mom with a stern voice. "She's the only one in the world to ever know the suffering of a dying! My only granddaughter should never have to deal with this!"

"We can't do anything about it now, Mom! Maka has already started her journey; she was bound to find out sooner or later!" Mom exclaimed. "Plus I'm sure Arceus has gifted her with a way to counter this." Grandma was about to protest when I inserted myself into the argument.

"Grandma, Mom is right. I've already started my journey. I knew I was going to lose some pokemon, but I'm going to stay determined. I'm going to handle this as bet I can. I'll cherish every single moment I have with my pokemon, like I cherish every moment with you." I tell Grandma. At first, her face was full of shock (probably because I pulled myself back together so quickly), but she smiled and hugged me.

"You're just like me and your mother. You're a wonderful young lady who is strong in body and soul. You are going to be Sinnoh's greatest champion ever!" I could feel tears of joy falling on the back of my shirt.

While Grandma and I were hugging, Mom was talking to the nurse and a police officer who had just came in. They seemed to be talking about something important. Mom asked the officer something, glancing at me every now and then; the officer nodded and all three of them walked toward me and Grandma. I pulled away from the hug just as Nurse Joy began to talk.

"Ms. Alban, I found this when I performed the autopsy on the bidoff" She said as she handed me some weird data-chip-like thing. "It was implanted in the brain. We figured that you would like to at least know that the bidoff wasn't in control of itself"

"What do you mean?" I asked. "What can this chip do?"

"I had the chip analized. Apparently this chip can alter behavior." the officer explained. "We have no idea who implanted in this into the pokemon, but it probably has something to with the symbol carved into the metal."

Upon closer inspection, I see the letter 'G' engraved into the metal of the device. The letter was bolded and Italicized and the font was unrecognizable to me. This might be the symbol of the Sinnoh Region's criminal syndicate; but that probably isn't it. You'd think that everyone would have heard about the local syndicate on the news by now if they have technology like this. But then where did it come from?

"Do you think you can try and track where this came from, Officer?" I ask, handing the device to the officer.

"I will gladly do that" the officer said. "And if at all possible, I would like you to keep an eye out for suspicious people on your journey."

"I will do my best" I respond. "How often would you like me to report to you?"

"As often as you can. There should be a police station in every town; just ask for Officer Jenny and they'll call me."

I shake Officer Jenny's hand. "I look forward to working with you, ma'am"

"Same here. Now why don't you go home and rest up. You can continue your journey tomorrow. Everyone here has had a long day." Officer Jenny said, then escorted me and my family back to Twinleaf Town.

-—-

The next morning, I saw some of the neighbors digging a small hole by the west side of my house. Soul's mother was tying two sticks together in a cross and carved a name on it. I didn't have to be there to see was, fore I already knew. This was Tsubaki's burial. It's a village tradition to honor loved ones like this, and that includes pokemon.

"Maka" I hear my mother call as she walked up the stairs to my room with two cups of tea. "You doing okay, my little cyndaquil?"

"Yeah, but I think you should ask Black Star that." I tell Mom. "He seems to be taking this all pretty hard, not that I blame him. He and Tsubaki seemed pretty close; Tsubaki did confess her love for him as she was dying." I look at Black Star, who was sitting in the corner.

"Well no wonder he's taking this so hard. He probably thought of Tsubaki the same way" Mom handed me one of the cups of tea. "I made your favorite. I know what the first death of a pokemon feels like, and you drinking this tea seems to help cheer you up."

"Thanks, Mom" I took a sip. Camomile with about 3 teaspoons of sugar, and brewed just before being served. Mom always knows exactly what I like; I guess I am as easily readable as Black Star says I am.

"Maka, I know what it feels like to lose a pokemon, even if you haven't gotten to know them." Mom said, breaking the brief silence between us. "I just want you to know that you should think about what your pokemon would want you to do." She looked toward Black Star, "And I'm pretty sure that Tsubaki would not want either of you two to mope around."

Black Star looked up. "Yeah, you're right. Tsubaki would never want any of us to be sad all the time! I mean how can we rise above the gods if we're still mourning over her death!"

"You're absolutely right, Black Star." Kagu spoke up. "We need to continue on."

I nod and grab my stuff. I hugged mom just before I ran out the door. "Thanks for all of your support, Mom"

"You're welcome, my little cyndaquil." Mom said. "Now go and show the world exactly who my daughter is and how strong you can be."

I nod and run out the door. So many thoughts are going through my head right now. What kind of pokemon will I meet? What are the gym leaders like? Soul and I are bound to cross paths, but that's alright. Perhaps I might see my dad again after 14 years. But where did that strange chip come from? Everytime I look at it, or even think about it, an unsettling feeling overwhelms me and I can't seem to shake it off. I feel like my journey is going to be much more dangerous than mom's ever was.


End file.
